12 for 12: Football's finest defensive players

Texas' Casey Hampton causes a fumble from Oklahoma State's Reggie White during the second quarter in 2000. Hampton started 37 straight games and led UT's defense in tackles for two straight seasons.

Photo By John David Mercer/Associated Press

Oklahoma defensive lineman Tommie Harris breaks through the line to sack Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle in a 2003 game in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Harris won the Lombardi Award that year as a leader on and off the field for the Sooners.

Photo By William Luther/wluther@express-news.net

UT's Quentin Jammer knocks down a pass intended for Oklahoma receiver Andre Woolfolk at 2000's Cotton Bowl. He allowed one TD pass in 28 career starts and is going strong a decade into an NFL career with the San Diego Chargers.

Photo By Express-News file photo

UT linebacker Derrick Johnson wraps his arms around Iowa State's Hiawatha Rutland in a 2002 game in Austin. Johnson guided the Longhorns to an 11-1 record in 2004 and tallied 65 tackles for losses in his career.

Kansas State punt returner Terence Newman outruns Louisiana-Monroe defender Shaune Maynard for a 40-yard touchdown during a 2002 game. Newman notched 10 interceptions over his college career and has been with the Dallas Cowboys since 2003.

Photo By Kin Man Hui/kmhui@express-news.net

Texas A&M's Dat Nguyen (left) and Phillip Meyers (right) bring down Nebraska's Scott Frost during the 1997 Big 12 Championship game at the Alamodome. The next year, Nguyen helped the Aggies claim their lone Big 12 title, and won the Lombardi Award.

Photo By Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

UT defensive end Brian Orakpo rushes against Colorado's Nate Solder during a 2008 game in Boulder, Colo. Orakpo earned the Nagurski and Lombardi awards, among others, tallying 11½ sacks as a senior in 2008.

Photo By Tom Reel/treel@express-news.net

UT's Major Applewhite fumbles the ball as Kansas State's Mark Simoneau runs him down in a 1999 game in Austin. Simoneau recorded 400 tackles over an impressive career for the Wildcats and played a decade in the NFL before announcing his retirement last year.

Oklahoma safety Roy Williams is best known for this gravity-defying takedown of UT quarterback Chris Simms in 2001 that sealed the Sooners' victory.

Photo By Al Behrman/Associated Press

Grant Wistrom, seen here with the St. Louis Rams in 2002, helped lead Nebraska to three national titles from 1994-97, collecting 26½ sacks along the way, and earned the Lombardi Award as a senior. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Rams in 1999.

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A Big 12 retrospective

In 1996, the Big Eight and half of the Southwest Conference came together to create a super league called the Big 12. In hindsight, keeping Southwest in the name would have been wise.

This fall, former Big Eight members Colorado and Nebraska are leaving the Big 12 with 10 members by heading for the Pac-12 and Big Ten, respectively.

While the Big 12 won't be numerically correct — and neither will the Big Ten — it will keep the name because of the brand recognition built through 15 years of play.

Over the rest of the summer, the Express-News will take a look back at those years with the best — and sometimes worst — the league had to offer.

The Big 12 has featured 37 first-round defensive NFL draft selections since 1997, including a whopping six each this past April and in 2003. The league clearly knows this side of the ball, and 10 of the workhorses on the blue-collar list below are first-rounders. The other two — Mark Simoneau and Dat Nguyen — earned their nods through grit and unrivaled determination. In the last of a 12-part series examining the Big 12’s impact over the past 15 years, staff writer Brent Zwerneman takes a look at the league’s top dozen football defenders, listed alphabetically:

Casey Hampton, Texas: Defensive lineman started 37 straight games and led UT’s defense in tackles for two straight seasons. He earned two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tommie Harris, Oklahoma: Defensive lineman won the Lombardi Award in 2003 as a leader on and off the field for the Sooners. He turned down the chance to be a part of the Playboy All-America photo shoot in 2002, saying the magazine denigrated women.

Dat Nguyen, Texas A&M: Linebacker won the Lombardi Award in 1998, the same year A&M won its lone Big 12 title. Following a career with Dallas Cowboys, he’s now the Aggies’ inside linebackers coach.

Brian Orakpo, Texas: Defensive end earned the Nagurski and Lombardi awards, among others, tallying 11½ sacks as a senior in 2008. He’s already a two-time Pro Bowler with the Washington Redskins.

Mark Simoneau, Kansas State: Linebacker recorded 400 tackles over an impressive career for the Wildcats and played a decade in the NFL before announcing his retirement last year.

Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska: Defensive lineman won too many awards to list as a senior in 2009, essentially dominating the Big 12 his final two years. Suh, who tallied 4½ sacks against Texas in the 2009 Big 12 title game, was last year’s AP defensive rookie of the year with the Detroit Lions.

Roy Williams, Oklahoma: Safety won the Nagurski and Thorpe awards as a junior and is best known for a gravity-defying takedown of UT quarterback Chris Simms in 2001 that sealed the Sooners’ victory. A one-time Dallas Cowboy, Williams recently announced his retirement.

Grant Wistrom, Nebraska: Defensive lineman helped lead the Cornhuskers to three national titles from 1994-97, collecting 26½ sacks along the way, and earned the Lombardi Award as a senior. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams in 1999.